What’s My Call Time Holiday Theater Picks for Your December Calendar

I’m typically not super excited by the typical holiday season line-up of theater offerings. I’m not a Christmas pageant sort of a girl, mostly because I get my Christmas fix via cheesy movies, romantic short stories, and The Great Dickens Christmas Fair.

But every so often, something a little different comes down the pike for holiday theater-lovers. Here’s what’s on my radar for December in the San Joaquin Valley. – Heather

Kick the Season Off Right This Weekend

The Fool’s Collaborative – that merry band of Fresno players producing shows, events, and creative projects with an eye toward raising money for charitable causes – kicks off December with Joyful Noise, a cabaret/holiday party benefiting the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund.

Sounds like a great way to get into the holiday spirit right off the bat!

Tickets for the event can be reserved in advance at https://joyfulnoise.bpt.me. Tickets will also be available at the door the evening of the cabaret. The suggested donation is $10, but audience members are welcome to Pay-What-They-Can, so don’t be afraid to join in if funds are a little tight this weekend. (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the Fools Collaborative, but am not directly involved with this event. – HP)

Get Some Jane Austen Good Cheer

Jane Austen (beloved of my heart) isn’t a classic author typically associated with Christmastime. That honor typically falls to Charles Dickens. Year-after-year A Christmas Carol headlines theaters around the country with nary a break in sight. When playwright Lauren Gunterson realized there might be a need in the holiday theatrical market for a play with a classic lit tie in, but with a new story, she decided on a sequel to Pride and Prejudice – with a Christmastime theme!

The result is Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberleywhich Gunderson co-wrote with Margot Melcon. Set in 1815, two years after the novel ends, the play continues the story of the Bennet sisters, only this time with bookish middle-sister Mary as its unlikely heroine. When the family gathers for Christmas at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s estate, an unexpected guest sparks Mary’s hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and possibly even love.

Gunderson is known for telling tales based on historical or literary characters with a delightful modernity, so don’t bet that this will be a stuffy-old-dozer. Under the direction of Fresno State professor Brad Myers, it is sure to meet your needs for a holiday story that can still surprise.

Also, the play itself has met with rave reviews from Austen super-fans all across the country for the past year. If it can please the Janeites, it can pass muster anywhere!

In Bakersfield: The Classic That Keeps On Giving

Yes, we’ve already mentioned that A Christmas Carolis the gift that keeps on giving during this time of year, but I’m going to plug the Ovation Theater’s production in Bakersfield. This version is the Broadway musical version penned by the talent behind Beauty and the Beast and Ragtime. And given how well I enjoyed Ovation’s production of 1776last summer, I’d bet they put together a heartfelt and well-sung version of this classic.